Attention New Trainers: Having trouble capturing the critters you want, or maybe you're just looking for a few pointers? Check out our Micomon Beginner's Guide!

It was bound to happen one day, wasn't it? Yes, Micromon is currently the nearest you're going to get to Pokemon on your iOS device. Fortunately it's pretty fun, too. There's one downfall though, and it's a pretty obvious one - those pesky in-app purchases that often get in the way of such experiences.

First up, Micromon is gorgeous to look at. It doesn't offer quite as many monsters to capture as a Pokemon game, weighing in at just over 130, but each of them is delightfully animated and appealing. The story within Micromon isn't particularly gripping, staying quite formulaic, but that's no great hardship.

You'll be too busy focusing on catching em all, oh yes. Familiar to fans of that other game, you'll be digging around in tall grass and competing against rival trainers. There's a multiplayer side of things too, with you able to compete against other human trainers, but don't expect it to be very balanced.

Grinding is commonplace here, although leveling-up seems a bit speedier than in Pokemon games. The issue that arises however is when capturing Micromons. You capture them using chips. The more expensive chips, the better the likelihood of capturing a rare one. You can pretty much buy your way to success through in-app purchases, and at times it feels like Micromon is leaning in that direction. When you struggle to grab something, you can't help but cynically wonder if Micromon is working against you.

Other issues arise from saving problems, although the recent addition of an auto save facility helps somewhat - despite it being a bit subtle about it. Also, the enemy AI is far from bright, which might be convenient when it comes to succeeding but isn't as fun as having a competition on your hands.

Despite that, Micromon is still easy to recommend to fans of monster catching. It's the nearest you're going to get to Pokemon on your phone, and it certainly offers its own slightly broken charm.

iPhone Screenshots

(click to enlarge)

iPad Screenshots

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